CES 2010

AFAIK, the DX-5 also can play computer music through its USB-input. This may be the ultimate machine at the moment. Of course, only if it's got music flowing through its electronic inside! To have $10K to spare....

Yes, it also features a USB audio input so that you can connect your computer to it and use it as a music server. So it will play every type of source except vinyl.This USB input also features a new input processor that will handle High Speed USB 2.0 Class 2 Audio (at least with Mac's OS X) so you can play back up to 192 kHz files. (All 14 of them.) Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio is still working to see if he can get Windows to do some things that it wasn't really designed to do.As far as the $10,0, that is a bit tougher. I don't think the banks are so happy to give out extra money on second mortgages these days...

PS -- We don't really throw everything else out. We recycle it.

Hi Charles--I am a happy owner of the Ayre QB-9. Does this mean that QB-9 will soon be able to play 24/192 files with an upgrade from Ayre?

Say, Charles, PM me at the DIYaudio board with a email address. thanks!

Jon - If you read my review on the QB-9 (http://www.ultraaudio.com/equipment/ayre_qb9.htm), you will see that this is the referenced 24/176.4 & 24/192 upgrade that is coming soon. Having spent some time with the boys from Boulder (the city) at the show yesterday, I've come to think of the D-5xeMP as the combination of (i) a C-5xeMP (but better), (ii) a QB-9 (but better), and (iii) an Oppo Blu Ray player (but way better -- all those recycled switching power supplies have been replaced with linear supplies -- to great effect). It really may be the ultimate "convergence" source component -- almost -- why weren't you able to shoehorn a phono stage in there Charlie?

Charles - great product! I hope you're doing well.

Charles, you have been a fantastic guest, and you have provided us with some serious education about digital audio which we really appreciate!!! And of course, you have some outstanding products which sound GREAT!!!

Nice shirt

Nice shirt

Nice shirt

Nice shirt

Nice shirt

Nice rebadged oppo! How do you slep at night knowing that you changed nothing with the video or digital audio sections and charge this much for snake oil?

Nice trolling. Have you ever seen the inside of the Oppo player? They look nothing alike. All Ayre keeps from the oppo is the transport mechanism, the VFD display, and the remote control handset and parts of the PCB (the video decoder, ABT scaler chip, and HDMI transmitter).Everything else is tossed.For comparison.. here's the Oppo's internalshttp://www.fotogenik.org/dani/image.jpg

Before buying one of these, think of the poor injured children in Haiti and see if you can see it in your heart to throw a c-note their way. Ciao, Bob

Mr. Hansen,Are there any plans to offer a product as a BD/DVD Transport like your D-1xe and D-7xe models?I am an Ayre customer and that is something that would interest me. I do not know if I am alone in this regard.Thanks,Brian

I saw and heard this at Music Lovers the other night in SF - amazing...Does anyone know the physical dimensions of it? Thanks.John

Will the DX-5 have volume control, and if so, how will it be implemented? Given the USB input, it would make sense for the DX-5 to be an all-in-one device that could connect directly to a power amplifier.

Think Steve is single? Maybe we can hook him up with either Rosemarie or the lady from Manley.

Wow. How cool. If I buy one, will the salesperson think I am a winner?

The only difference in the ayre DX-5 is the power supply and a different analog/DAC section, everything else is 100% the same.The use a DSD1796 DAC which is common is most equipment from denon, yamaha, pioneer, and is far less of a performer then the new 32bit DAC's in the oppo SE. And the power supply section is not going to have a effect on audio quality so this is a rebadged oppo that they modded to perform worse.

"everything else is 100% the same"Willis, you're a big fat lying troll. I know you've already read the thread on avsforum but for those who haven't, go see Charles Hansen's explanation of what he keeps and what he changes from the Oppo platform."far less of a performer then the new 32bit DAC's in the oppo SE"And your evidence is?"And the power supply section is not going to have a effect on audio quality "You're being idiotic.

Charles. Apart from the DX-5 discussion... Will you add a high-end integrated amp (with phono boards) to your product line (eg. as Boulder did with their 865) in the near future to serve people who don´t have the space/ don´t want to invest in separates ? I have been a very long time user of Ayre products (Series 7, 5 and 1) and recently changed to Vitus SS-010 because I wanted to have a great sounding one box solution.Best, Frank

PLEASE,can you tell me when new DX-5 AYARE arrives in italy?

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=18163411&postcount=499You have to read this, I was reading through the ayre thread on avs since I have not posted there for 6 months and it turns out that ayre has not even measured jitter in the DX-5 despite talking up and down how it is better then anything on the market. Charles Hansen of ayre is your tpyical snake oil sales man, he will sound intelligent at first glance but one you read into his postings one will realise he has no understanding about the aspects of audio, let alone jitter. Keep it up Charles Hansen you are just digging yourself a deeper hole.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18162779#post18162779Whatever, troll-king. Ayre has a $75K analyzer that they haven't used to measure their products? If you say so, Mr. anonymous expert!

Its true, ayre has not even measured the jitter of the DX-5 yet they go on and on about the importance or ARC and jitter performance. This is a joke of a company and the high end rebadging is getting pathetic.

Charles, I don't know if you're reading this thread, but don't let this loner troll-boy get you down. By the way, I got my CX-7 back with the MP upgrade - frackin' sounds better than ever! Even more resolution than before but the biggest difference is in the soundstage . . . wow. My room just gets filled with music. I've a handful of titles on both CD and vinyl and while I still have to give the nod to the vinyl, it's a very close thing. In fact, I have a Bruce Cockburn remaster that I actually prefer the CD! Nice job! I think it's awesome that you have an upgrade program. My CX-7 is >7 years old and it is now current spec. Most of your competitors would have changed the model, leaving owners with an obsolete unit. Kudos to Ayre!

I don't know why you call someone a "troll", just because they express their opinion. I fully respect Mr. Hansen and Ayre products. But I would just buy a Oppo 83 and use a DAC or something like a McIntosh MCD500, which has 2 digital inputs. But if someone has an all Ayre system, I can see getting this product. I am sure the quality is world class.

Hi JimA,>>>just because they express their opinion.Yeah, I'm fine with that. But this person has gone well beyond that. If you do a search on "Ayre DX-5", you'll see multiple postings on multiple blogs where one person (under multiple aliases) has posted demonstrably wrong "opinions" about the Ayre. If this person had directly compared the Ayre and Oppo and reported his/her opinion, cool! Instead, this person has repeatedly written intentional misinformation. I call that trolling. YMMV.

Physical media are dead. Spending $10K on a device to play spinning discs in 2010 makes about as much sense as buying a high end mini disc player.

I am a fan of the scenario:1) Hi Res computer file2) USB3) ???4) DAC5) Profit.So what is the ultimate future capacity required of the USB connection? 11.2 x 24/192 = uhm my math sucks. I think we need at least USB 2.0 speeds but possibly 3.0. The 11 comes from 1 speaker in each corner of the room (8) + center + front L & R. The speaker per corner thing comes from a conversation with the folks at Audyssey. The goal of all that is to handle music + home theater in one system.